Living Up To What We Have Already Attained
Philippians 3.1-16
Our walk with the LORD is a dynamic relationship. He has wrapped it around life. Some people have said, “It would be easier if God will spell it all out for us… one to twenty…” He doesn’t work that way. Our relationship is based on the dynamic of love.
In Ephesians 5, we see the relationship with Christ and the church described as that between a husband and a wife, a love relationship. I love watching couples going through life together, supporting each other, caring for one another. The dynamic of love is wonderful! If it is all spelled out by the husband or wife the spontaneity and excitement of love is not there.
Yet there is an order… Living here means to proceed in a row as the march of a soldier, to go in order
To go on prosperously, to turn out well, to walk, to direct one’s life.
There is an order to love, there are certain things we do if we love someone. While loving and being loved is the most freeing sensation in the world, it is not just feeling. It is doing and being.
There are ten commandments which Jesus said are summed up like this, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself.”
Living up to what we have already attained means that we are doing the things we know to do and not doing things we should not do because a deep, ever growing, abiding love we have for Jesus Christ.
1. This is not perfection v.12
There is no such thing as a perfect marriage. We fall short.
Believers come up short. Paul said that he had not arrived. None of have. We won’t arrive until we get to heaven. We will be like Jesus when we see Him.
Living up to what we have already attained is living up to where we are with our love and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
It isn’t living by a list of rules. Paul had done that well. (vs. 6,9) It is pleasing a Person. It is living by faith and love. A daily quiet time is a wonderful thing. It can be looked at in two ways. It can be looked at something I do and then check off my “to do list” as done or it can be a time of sweet communion with Jesus Christ.
There are things that are going to come to us between now and the time we go to be with the LORD that are going to make us more like Jesus. As we grow God reveals things to us. As we obey we are shown more of Jesus by Himself and are given more to do
John 14.21
We need to see this truth about not being perfect in ourselves as well as in others. We can be hard on ourselves but we can be and often are much harder on others. Every time I find myself criticizing some one I have to look inward and see where I am falling short. Romans 2.1 “… for whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.”
2. This is not where someone else is.
Notice how personal this third chapter is. Paul is speaking about his own spiritual journey. He is talking about his own walk with the LORD.
Our walk with the LORD is just that “our walk with the LORD.” Now it is true that some use that as a shield to do their own thing in areas of obvious disobedience. That is not right.
Nevertheless living up to what we have already attained is living up to what we and not someone else has attained. We need to be careful we are not imitating the Holy Spirit. We are to imitate Christ. God will speak to people wonderfully and perfectly. I remember a new believer years ago coming to me all upset. We were at a funeral and one of his relatives who had not yet heard about his coming to Christ found out that evening. Instead of rejoicing, he began to tell him things he ought to be doing. It confused him. Like taking a child who has just learned basic arithmetic and trying to get him to understand algebra or calculus.
It is a walk and some are further down the road in their sanctification than others, simply based on the fact that they have been at it longer. Others because they have been more obedient or because of the measure of suffering in their lives have a closer walk with Jesus.
3. This is where the LORD has brought us.
Luke 7.47 Those with many sins which have been forgiven love much.
Attained= arrive at
Do you have a handle on where you are at on the journey to heaven?
Teach us to number our days aright, so we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90.12
We have been given a measure of light. We are being called to love (and live) up to that light.
4. This is Living
We do a lot of listening. We ought to be doing more.
A believer should not be able to look back and say, “I was a stronger Christian then. I was closer to the LORD at that point in my life.”
Too many today are living less than they have attained.
Are there things today that you know you ought to be doing? Are there areas of service to Jesus, quiet out of the way things that you know in your heart you ought to be in the middle of? Don’t wait. Right now purpose in your heart that you will. God will give you strength and enable you to do wonderful things in His Name.
5. This is sanctification.
Living in all the light and knowledge you have been given.
Pressing onto what is ahead.
This is not heaven. Retirement and Rest is in heaven. The night is coming, Jesus said, when no man can work. We must work while it is day.
Forgetting what is behind.
This is not always easy to do. God will help us here too.
Live up to what we have already attained. God help us. May we be doing all we know we ought to do. May the LORD give you a spirit of endurance. May we follow Jesus closely.
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